Good Cops, Bad Cops...

Over the last couple of years we've noticed an increase of reported incidents of police officers abusing the power of their office, sometimes brutally. This is not a new phenomenon. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". There have always been police officers that abuse their power. They give law enforcement a bad name, and cause some people to hate or distrust all police. This is unfortunate, because for every bad cop, there are many more good cops. This page is dedicated to exposing both the bad and the good cops.

Of course we're making a judgement call based on the available information. Think we got it wrong? Is there more info available that'll make a good cop bad or a bad cop good? Is there a recent news story (especially about good cops!) that belongs on this page? Contact us with the info.

Good Cops

2015-04-23 Officer shares his lunch with a homeless man — "A photo of a sheriff’s deputy in Washington state sharing his lunch with a homeless man on the side of the street was quickly going viral on Facebook Thursday, epitomizing what many are calling the good side of policing. The photo was posted on Facebook by Pierce County resident Darren Ballard Sr...."

2015-04-20 Officer helps kid fix bike — "A Connecticut officer is being hailed for helping a Bridgeport child in need this weekend. Officer Cody Remy was on patrol in Trumbull Gardens on Saturday when city officials said he stopped to help a child, whose bicycle was broken. The kind gesture was caught on camera and sent out to local media. Remy was unaware the photo was taken...."

2015-04-17 Cop and ex-con join forces in unlikely story of redemption — "They were the bitterest of enemies. For more than a decade, on the streets of Milwaukee, two men shared a mutual disgust. One was a hardnosed cop named Ray Robakowski.... The other was a drug dealer and gang-banger named Jacob Maclin. Jacob got arrested so many times you can watch him grow old in his mugshots. And it was that career thug -- and Ray the officer -- who sat down one day over a cup of coffee. The district attorney's office arranged it. The meeting was to see if cop and criminal could work together and come up with a way to get out of this vicious cycle. But neither guy was buying it. Ray only showed up because his boss made him come. And Jacob was tricked into coming, told he had a job interview. So they basically just glared at each other the entire time. Ray thought Jacob was sure to screw up and wind up behind bars. But eventually, over the next couple months, Jacob proved to Ray that he wanted to get a job and turn his life around...."

2015-04-02 Officer collides patrol car head on with a wrong-way vehicle to prevent it from hitting other vehicles — "A Brentwood, Tennessee police officer said he had to make a split-second decision on how to stop a driver going the wrong way down a major highway last Thursday. The result was this: a head-on crash between the officer’s cruiser and the wrong-way driver, all caught on the dashboard camera.... Brentwood police spotted the vehicle travelling at high speeds near Concord Road in Brentwood, and radioed ahead to Officer Cliff Thompson, who was north of the wrong-way driver. Thompson spotted the driver and attempted to use his patrol car to force her into the concrete median. But with the driver showing no signs of stopping, Thompson said he was forced to make a quick decision, as traffic had been stopped just a little further up the highway. So he aimed his cruiser directly at the oncoming vehicle – and held on tight. Both Thompson and the other driver, 59-year-old Sandra Sharpe of Nashville, Tennessee, were taken to hospital with minor injuries...."

2015-04-01 Officers buy needy family a car seat instead of ticketing them — "Two Michigan police officers are being hailed for making the decision to buy a car seat for a family in need instead of citing the child's parents. Officers Jason Pavlige and James Hodges of Fruitport Township, Michigan, responded to a dispatch call reporting a woman at a local McDonalds holding a baby in her arms in a car’s passenger seat. The officers ... pulled over the driver, also the father of the 10-month-old girl, on the violation.... When the officers spoke with the parents, who were not identified, they quickly realized they did not have the resources to purchase a car seat for their daughter.... Instead of issuing the parents a citation, Pavlige and Hodges decided to take action in another way.... While Pavlige stayed with the family, Hodges went to a local Walmart and purchased a new car seat with money from his and Pavlige’s own pockets. They then installed the car seat and gave the family instructions on how to properly use it.... Hodges and Pavlige’s good deed occurred in February but was publicized just last week after a Walmart employee called the police station to report what the officers had done...."

2015-01-29 Officer aids baby formula shoplifter — "It started with a complaint about a shoplifter, but it ended with an act of kindness. A London police officer took it upon himself to help a suspected shoplifter after realizing the man was in a difficult situation.... Roby was called to the Kroger on North Main Street in London on Saturday, Jan. 17 after a loss prevention officer stopped a man who was shoplifting. The suspect was a single father who had fallen on hard times, Roby said. The man was caught stealing baby formula for his six-month-old son, who was with him at the time. The store's loss prevention officer told Roby he did not want to press charges, and Roby agreed.... But what Roby did next showed the shoplifter what it truly means 'to protect and serve' one's community. He bought some formula himself, giving it to the man for his baby.... Roby also gave the man a message, saying he told the man there are a lot of people and organizations - including the police department - that are available to help those in need...."

2015-01-25 Officer arrests pizza delivery man, then delivers pizza — "Oswego Police arrested two male subjects at Chicago and Garfield for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. One of the subjects was en route to deliver a pizza to a local residence at the time of arrest. Seeing that the large pizza sitting in the passenger seat had no means of reaching its destination, an officer delivered the pizza to the specified address on the receipt attached. A confused resident accepted the pizza, and was very glad that the police were there to deliver the pizza, rather than talk to them."

2015-01-13 Police Chief replies wonderfully to outrageous demands by 'Young, Gifted and Black Coalition' — Madison Police Chief Mike Koval has some strong words to those who penned an open letter accusing his department of bias and contributing to racial disparity in the criminal just system.... The letter was penned by members of the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition. The group has been a driving force behind recent local protests responding to events in Ferguson, New York and Milwaukee.... The group's open letter, released on Friday, made several demands from the Madison Police Department in regards to community policing, including a line stating: 'The relationship that we desire to have with the police is simple: no interaction.' Chief Koval responded, 'To their edict that we pull out of the neighborhoods: not happening.'... Chief Koval adds, 'I think that doesn't begin to address the issue that our neighborhoods are also comprised of victims, of witnesses, of complainants who contrary to what their take is, my take is that when I do community forums, they are begging for the Madison police department to have their presence there....'"

2014-12-30 South Carolina sheriff takes boy hunting & fishing — "A 9-year-old boy is on an 'awesome' hunting trip in South Carolina after mistakenly asking a Pennsylvania sheriff to teach him how to hunt. Alex Collins flew to Chester, S.C., Monday to hunt with Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood for two days. The sheriff took Alex shopping for boots, pants, a camouflage jacket and a fishing tackle box. Then he lent Alex his favorite rifle and showed the boy how to hold it safely. After that they had a hearty breakfast and ventured into the deep woods to look for deer.... Underwood has a program where he offers to take kids hunting and fishing. The boy's mother saw the offer on Facebook but when she saw Chester County she thought it was Chester County in Pennsylvania. That's where she and her son live.... Alex and his mother dropped off hand-written letters to the sheriff in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Carolyn Welsh, just minutes before the deadline.... Alex was crestfallen when he was told about the mix-up. But that’s when Welsh contacted Underwood.... The two sheriffs and their deputies are chipping in for Alex’ trip and his hunting gear...."

2014-12-26 Officer kills gunman in bar parking lot — "More than 100 bar patrons swarmed a crime scene and some may have thrown bottles early Friday after a Texas City police officer shot and killed an armed man. The officer arrived at H.T.'s Lounge in Texas City after police received a call about 1:20 a.m. from the bar manager asking for help, police spokesman Cpt. Joe Stanton said. As he arrived, the officer saw a man firing a handgun at patrons leaving through the front door of the bar, Stanton said. The man pointed his gun at the officer, who killed him by firing several shots. Two other officers arrived shortly after the first and they called for assistance. Officers from Galveston, La Marque and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office arrived to control a crowd that had swelled to more than 100, police said...." [Credit to the officer for handling a dangerous situation, and eliminating the threat. When a man has a gun and is shooting at people, and then points the gun at you, there's really not much else you can do. Extra credit for getting a thug off the streets permanently.]

2014-12-24 They are not the type of tickets you think — "After a rough year spent in and out of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for a rare, life-threatening condition, a Saukville teenager got a Christmas surprise from her dad. The big surprise wasn't only the gift — but how he delivered it. It all started back on November 21st, when Audra Daniloff was pulled over by a Saukville police officer (see complete video below). The officer told her at the time, it was because she rolled through a stop sign. In reality, it was a set-up. 'I got some good news and some bad news for you, okay?' said the officer. 'The bad news, first I am giving you two tickets. But they are not the type of tickets you think. One is a plane ticket to New York. The other is a concert ticket for your favorite band.'"...

2014-12-17 Dispatchers answer man's repeated 911 calls with music to his ears — "Emergency dispatcher Kari Bueno once wanted the person clogging up their lines with false 911 calls to get into a lot of trouble.... In less than a week, someone had made more than 4,000 calls to 911. At one point, Bueno was receiving three to four calls a minute — all of them from the same number, which traced back to a disconnected cellphone.... About three weeks ago, West Jordan police finally tracked down the person making those calls.... The person making the calls was 30-year-old David VanBibber, who has a mental disability. His family says he functions on the level of an 8-year-old.... David VanBibber had an old cellphone that he used as an iPod to listen to music. The phone was disconnected and unable to make calls. But even disconnected cellphones are still able to call 911, which he was accidentally doing while trying to access his music. Bueno and other dispatchers didn't intend for VanBibber to have his music taken away. But they couldn't have him continually dial 911, either. The day the cellphone was taken away, Bueno came up with the idea of raising money among the dispatch center employees to buy an iPod Nano and a $100 iTunes gift certificate for him. On Wednesday, VanBibber and his family were invited to Valley Emergency Communications Center and were presented with the gifts...."

2014-12-12Unique traffic stops in Missouri bring drivers to tears — "Earlier this month, in Kansas City, Missouri, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department was out looking for people. And when they spotted a subject, they went after them, in a sting operation the likes of which this country has never seen. What made this operation especially unusual was the man behind it: a fellow in a red hat -- known to these men only as 'Secret Santa.' Every year this anonymous, wealthy businessman gives out about a hundred thousand dollars worth of hundred dollar bills to random strangers. But this year, instead of doing it all himself, he deputized these deputies to give away much of it...."

2014-12-12 Cops shuttle elderly woman to hospital to visit son after she backs into patrol vehicle during a traffic stop — "A Utah Highway Patrol trooper's vehicle was struck after the trooper pulled an elderly woman over, but rather than cite her the man worked with other troopers to get the woman to a hospital so she could be with her gravely ill son she believed to be dying... The woman was traveling from Panaca, Nevada to visit her son, who she thought was in a hospital in Salt Lake City. After the trooper issued the woman a warning, she put the car in reverse and backed into Jones' patrol car. After the collision, she told the trooper she had very bad eyesight and could hardly see as she drove. Jones told the woman it wasn't safe for her to be behind the wheel, but rather than go about his business he decided to help...."

Bad Cops

2015-04-14 Cops use rock, paper, scissors to determine whether to charge underage drinker — "Cellphone video shot during Chilifest has gone viral and landed three law enforcement officers in hot water. Burleson County [Texas] Precinct 2 Constable Dennis Gaas confirms ... that three of the officers he hired to work security at the music festival last weekend ... gave an underage drinker the chance to get out of a ticket by winning a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. You can see from her reaction that she was both excited and relieved to have won...."

2015-04-07 Graphic video shows cop fatally shooting fleeing man in back with eight rounds — "A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after video surfaced showing him shoot a 50-year-old black man in the back during a traffic stop Saturday, officials said. Records with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office showed that 33-year-old officer Michael Slager was arrested Tuesday and charged for Walter Scott’s death. Video published by the New York Times showed Slager fire eight rounds at Scott as the 50-year-old desperately tried to escape...." [Editor's Note: Watching the video, it's pretty clear shooting the fleeing man in the back was unwarranted. And it sure looks like Slager tried to plant "evidence" by dropping what looks like a Taser by the victim's body.]

2015-02-25 Cops and lawyers falsely accuse man who handed a summons to a cop — One of the worst days of Douglas Dendinger's life began with him handing an envelope to a police officer.... Dendinger agreed to act as a process server, giving a brutality lawsuit filed by his nephew to Chad Cassard as the ... police officer exited the Washington Parish Courthouse. The handoff went smoothly, but Dendinger said the reaction from Cassard, and a group of officers and attorneys clustered around him, turned his life upside down. 'It was like sticking a stick in a bee's nest.' Dendinger recalled. 'They started cursing me. They threw the summons at me. Right at my face, but it fell short. Vulgarities. I just didn't know what to think. I was a little shocked.' Not knowing what to make of the blow-up, a puzzled Dendinger drove home. That's where things went from bad to worse. 'Within about 20 minutes, there were these bright lights shining through my windows.... I knew immediately, a police car. And that's when the nightmare started,' he said.... He was booked with simple battery, along with two felonies: obstruction of justice and intimidating a witness, both of which carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.... What the officers and attorneys did not know was that Dendinger had one critical piece of evidence on his side: grainy cell phone videos shot by his wife and nephew. Dendinger said he thought of recording the scene at the last minute as a way of showing he had completed the task of serving the summons.... In the end, the two videos may have saved Dendinger from decades in prison. From what can be seen on the clips, Dendinger never touches Cassard, who calmly takes the envelope and walks back into the courthouse, handing Wall the envelope.... Dendinger spent nearly a year waiting for trial, racking up attorney's fees. As a disabled Army veteran on a fixed income, Dendinger said the case stretched him financially, but in his eyes, he was fighting for his life. After nearly a year passed ... the case was referred to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, which promptly dropped the charges...."

2014-12-13 Cop takes down and tasers elderly man for having expired inspection sticker on a car that didn't need an inspection sticker — "A Victoria police officer is under investigation after a 76-year-old man accused him of using excessive force during a traffic stop. The officer, Nathanial Robinson, 23, was placed on administrative duty Friday pending the outcome of an internal investigation into whether he violated the use of force policy when he tased Victoria resident Pete Vasquez.... The incident happened ... after Robinson saw an expired inspection sticker on the car Vasquez was driving back to [a car dealer] where he helps with mechanical work.... Vasquez got out of the car, which is owned by the car lot, attempting to get the manager. He pointed out to the officer the dealer tags on the back of the car, which would make it exempt from having an inspection.... Police dashboard camera video shows Robinson arresting Vasquez for the expired sticker. When the officer first grabbed Vasquez's arm, the older man pulled it away. Robinson then pushed Vasquez down on the hood of the police cruiser. The two fell out of the camera's video frame, but police said the officer used the Taser on Vasquez twice while he was on the ground.... Vasquez was handcuffed, placed in the back of the police cruiser and taken to Citizens Medical Center, where he remained in police custody for two hours...."

2014-12-12 Man asks for cop's name, gets tackled and arrested — "Derek Youmans never touched the San Francisco cop who pounced on him at the airport.... All he did was offer a handshake before attempting to walk away, already having obtained the cop's name, Keith Parker, over not having been allowed on a plane earlier after he was falsely accused of drinking.... When Youmans turned to walk away, the cop slapped him from behind, knocking him to the floor, drilling his knees into the back of Youman's head while using his hands to further press his face into the floor, yelling 'stop resisting!' Several other cops came running up and piled on him, grabbing his limbs as Parker twisted his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. Yousman was driven to a jail 40 miles away and released 12 hours later with no charges, no citation and no justification for having been arrested. Nothing more than a contempt-of-cop arrest.... Another man who witnessed the incident, Devaraj Ramsamy, handed his business card to one of Youmans' co-workers who was there. Ramsamy [confirmed] that Youmans did not touch the officer before he was attacked...."

2014-12-11 Cop beats man for asking him to stop blocking traffic — "A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy is on paid vacation after a video surfaced showing him stomping on a man’s face and hitting him with his flashlight after tasering him. Undersheriff Jaime Lewis says that they are investigating themselves after viewing the video. The man being beaten in the video is 51-year-old John Madison Reyes, who said the incident started when he asked the deputy, whose car was blocking the road, to move.... That's when this Sacramento deputy began badgering Reyes about his past record, which was completely irrelevant to this confrontation. The deputy then tried to arrest Reyes, for no apparent reason, as the only charge he was given after being beaten and booked into jail, was resisting arrest...."